Amsterdam is one of the most universally recognized cities in Europe. Home to 160 canals, over 50 museums, and countless scenes of World War II tragedy, this walkable city is a cultural hub capable of ensnaring the imaginations of people the world over.
Today marks the anniversary of a last-minute weekend my friend Alyssa and I spent in Amsterdam at the end of our semester abroad one year ago. To honor the occasion, and because I’ve done a terrible job of marking the other “year ago today” milestones, I thought I would break the pattern with a little exposé on the “Venice of the North.”
So pack your virtual suitcases, watch out for bikes, and we’ll be on our way!
The I Amsterdam City Card
Before we get started on what to see and do, I recommend the I Amsterdam City Card to anyone planning to stay in the city for more than a day. The card grants you access to Amsterdam’s public transportation, bike rentals, a complimentary canal cruise, and most of the city’s premier museums and attractions. This is a great way to save some money if you plan to pack your itinerary full of tourist attractions.
Purchase your I Amsterdam pass online and pick it up at the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol or Amsterdam’s central train station. Cards are also sold at locations scattered throughout the city.
Cruise the canals on a boat tour
For a unique view of Amsterdam, ride a boat through the city’s 100-kilometer network of canals. (Believe it or not, Amsterdam actually has more canals than Venice!) Learn about the city’s rich history of art, trade, and culture as you admire its unique architecture from the water.
Embrace your inner artist at the Rijksmuseum
Amsterdam is known for having the most museums per capita of any city in the world. Don’t leave the city without spending at least a few hours in this one. The Rijksmuseum brims to the rafters with works covering 800 years of Dutch history, including works by Rembrandt and Vermeer.
Get to the Rijksmuseum early to beat the crowds and make sure to grab a map at the door. The museum’s layout is infamously confusing.
Track down the famous I Amsterdam letters
This marketing campaign turned social media icon draws selfie-hungry tourists like moths to a flame. Really, who can blame us? The massive, climbable letters present the perfect commemorative photo op for any visitor.
However, the monumental crowds that formed around I Amsterdam’s original Museumplein location drew the ire of locals. In response, the city uprooted the letters in 2018. The sculpture has been in transit ever since, shifting from place to place every few months. When we visited, the letters sat in front of the Stadsloket Oost (East City Center) in Oostpoort, about a half-hour walk outside Central Amsterdam.
If you want a guaranteed I Amsterdam sighting or don’t want to hunt down the roving letters’ current location, permanent installations exist at Schiphol Airport and near Sloterplas Lake in West Amsterdam.
Visit the Van Gogh Museum
Amsterdam’s most visited museum holds the largest collection of works by Vincent Van Gogh in the world. The collection boasts some of Van Gogh’s best known paintings (such as “Sunflowers,” “Almond Blossom,” and “The Potato Eaters”) and a compilation of drawings and letters from throughout his lifetime. Start from the ground floor and trace the progression of the tormented artist’s career as you make your way upstairs.
Turn back time at the Anne Frank House
Climbing behind the bookshelf at 263 Prinsengracht and into the secret annex where Anne Frank and her family hid from Nazi persecution for more than two years was a truly humbling experience. The museum features historical films, documents, and objects that belonged to the annex’s occupants until their 1944 deportation. It also displays the notebooks that held Anne’s original diary, now published in 70 languages.
The Anne Frank House is something you absolutely cannot miss on any visit to Amsterdam. I know from experience that most of the other things on this list can be planned last-minute. However, the Anne Frank Museum is a VERY notable exception. Tickets cannot be reserved through the I Amsterdam city card and must be booked on the museum website. Act early or play the nerve-wracking game of trying to secure same-day tickets in an airport. (Like me.)
Explore the Dutch Resistance Museum
Like the Anne Frank House, the Dutch Resistance Museum transports visitors back to World War II Amsterdam. Soundbites, historical artefacts, and short films recreate life under Nazi occupation and share stories of wartime heroism, resilience, and atrocity.
Walk across the street to find the Holocaust memorial at the Hollandsche Schouwburg theater, which the Nazis used as a deportation center during World War II.
Stroll through the Jordaan
Known for its beautiful setting, fantastic restaurants, and local shops, enter the Jordaan ready to embrace Amsterdam’s quirky personality. As you take pictures, notice the neighborhood’s tall, skinny houses. Many property owners constructed buildings in this style to avoid 17th century taxes imposed in accordance with ground floor width.
For an area with a little more local flavor, take a pass through De Negen Straatjes (the Nine Streets). Try not to think too hard about the fact that the entire city of Amsterdam sits atop 11 million poles stuck into the mud.
Cheese it up
To all my non-lactose intolerant friends out there: Amsterdam’s many cheese shops are the place to be. I truly have never seen so many types of cheese in my life, and I would be lying if I said we didn’t spend our last afternoon in Amsterdam in search of free samples. We had way too much fun tasting our favorites in each shop as if trying them for the first time.
Also, don’t forget to enjoy other local specialties like stroopwafels (flat wafers layered with honey), clog-making, cafés, and Miffy the stuffed rabbit.
Seek out seasonal surprises
Our visit to Amsterdam in early December allowed us to take advantage of the city’s holiday spirit. Art spilled out of the city’s museums and into its streets and canals in the form of stunning, sometimes peculiar light displays. If you visit in the spring instead, be sure to check out Holland’s world-famous tulips at the Keukenhof Gardens.
…There’s the Red Light District, I guess…
This is a funny story and an example of why it’s important to do your research when planning a trip to a place you’ve never been.
After a full day of sightseeing, my friend and I decided to head to our hostel to watch The Fault in Our Stars (partially set in Amsterdam) and go to sleep. As mentioned, our whole trip was a last-minute affair. High ratings, availability, and affordability led me to book a pair of bunks in a Christian hostel close to the city center.
It was dark, we were tired, and the Saturday night crowd didn’t seem unusual as we blindly followed Google Maps to our final destination. For more context, it was Christmastime, the city was full of seasonal light displays, and we must have been really out of it. Alyssa was looking down at her phone, and I was busy weaving through the throngs of people.
Then, someone bumped into me. I glanced to my left. As I did, I made eye contact with a young woman sitting in a window wearing lingerie and little else.
I stopped in my tracks.
Another girl sat in the next window down the street. The same was true across the canal. All the streetlights and most of the windows emitted a soft red glow.
Somehow, we wandered straight into De Wallen, Amsterdam’s most famous Red Light District, during peak business hours.
The best part? Nestled innocently in an alleyway near an erotic outlet, several bars, and a weed shop, was our Christian hostel. I’m not sure if they intended to deliver young travelers from temptation, or if, like us, the hostel owners snagged available real estate without researching what was nearby. Either way, the contrast between the hostel’s religious slant and the activity surrounding it was ironic. I guess knowing someone biblically can have two very different meanings on the same Amsterdam side street.
Overall, Amsterdam is an extremely safe city and has a little bit of everything for the adventurous soul. Just make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into. :))
